A 58 year old toddler…

Unknown to me, for months Muriel (now my wife) had asked all sorts of people to pray for me and of course, ultimately, I didn’t stand a chance!

I had been attending Thornhill Baptist Church for quite a few months and had slowly begun to learn about this chap called ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’ and begun to realise that this was something very real and not just stories. As well as attending the church Muriel had been trying to educate me in the ways of the Lord . One of these sessions had started one evening and went on very late into the next morning and at about 3 am I asked Muriel “What do I have to do to become a Christian?” she said that I had to ask forgiveness for all that had happened in my life and start again. At this point the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I went all of a quiver and I asked the Lord to forgive me for all my sins and take me into his family.

I joined the House group that Muriel attended. I found this a very daunting thing to do. As a man of 58 I felt like a real beginner and was very nervous but I think the Lord told them to put me at my ease, as this is exactly what happened.  The Alpha course started in late October. We had six people to start with but one or two had to drop out but this meant that my education was almost one to one. Each week either at house group or Alpha something different happened that really enlightened me in the ways of the Lord and it was marvellous.

My first Christmas as a Christian was very exciting and for the first time I started to understand the story of the Nativity and began to realise that Christmas is not all about giving and getting presents but that it is Jesus’s Birthday  we are celebrating.

One day in the New Year Muriel and I were out walking and once again the topic of conversation was Christianity and my growth as a Christian and Baptism came up. It was explained that although as a baby I had been “Baptised “ this had not been of my free will. Now that I had become a Christian following Jesus through the waters of baptism might be the next step on my Christian journey.  I was taught that when a person was Baptised it showed his past life was buried and left behind  and a new one begun as a new born member of God’s Family. Palm Sunday would be the day and two other people would also be baptised.

I  remember on the day it was as if I was carried away on the crest of a wave and I felt very clean and new.  After the service many of the people welcomed me to the church family and at last I really felt at one with God and everyone there.

Easter was only a week away and it was my first as a Christian.  Although I had been learning what happened that week in Jesus’ life and death it really brought it all home to me, the true meaning of why God sent his son to die for us and in doing so forgiving us all our sins and then for him to live again in the way he does.

I know I have only just started on my journey as a Christian and I know life will not always be easy but I know that I am no longer on my own, with God beside me.